According to figures compiled by the International Iron Metallics Association, 2011 was a good year for the global merchant hot briquetted iron industry, with production increasing by almost 30% while sales were up by 15%. Total production of HBI for merchant purposes was 6.7 million tonnes. Sales approached 6.3 million tonnes, with almost 5.5 million tonnes to export customers.

IIMA members accounted for more than 5.5 million tonnes of total HBI production and almost 5.3 million tonnes of total sales. Approximately 4.6 million tonnes of these sales were to customers outside the producing country.

Mr Lebedinsky GOK of Russia's Metalloinvest Group led IIMA members with more than 2.4 million tonnes of HBI produced and sold in 2011. Shadeed Iron & Steel in Oman, owned by the Jindal Group of India, had a strong first year producing and shipping approximately 1.1 million tonnes. Comsigua led the five Venezuelan HBI plants with output of almost 850,000 tonnes and sales of nearly 750,000 tonnes. Welspun Maxsteel, a member of IIMA in 2011, was limited by natural gas availability and produced 77,000 tonnes.

Metalloinvest's OEMK produced and shipped about 135,000 tonnes of DRI and with the Venezuelan HBI plants accounted for sales of more than 879,000 tonnes of DRI HBI fines.

Non members of IIMA produced almost 1.2 million tonnes of HBI in 2011. Antara Steel Mills and Lion DRI of Malaysia's Lion Group accounted for 822,000 tonnes of the total, approximately 764,000 tonnes of which were shipped to export and domestic customers. Qatar Steel produced 240,000 tonnes of HBI (1.97 million tonnes of DRI were produced for consumption in the adjacent steel mill) and shipped 155,000 tonnes of HBI and 31,000 tonnes of DRI. Libyan Iron & Steel Company, in limited operation, produced and shipped 104,000 and 41,000 tonnes of HBI and 199,000 and 8,000 tonnes of DRI, respectively.

Source - International Iron Metallics Association

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